Moon Phases 2023

The Moon makes Earth a more livable planet by moderating our home planet's wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate.

A supermoon occurs when the Moon's orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time the Moon is full. At such a time, the Moon can look larger and brighter than it normally does - especially when it is seen rising above the horizon. However, it's important to note that the actual difference in size and brightness between a supermoon and an average full moon is not typically dramatic, and may not be noticeable to the naked eye without a direct comparison.

No, the moon has no water and has only a very thin and tenuous atmosphere (called an exosphere) so it cannot trap heat or insulate the surface. So, for example, there is no wind to create weather system. The Moon does, in fact, affect the Earth's climate and weather patterns in several subtle ways.

An orange moon means the shorter wavelengths of light are being filtered away. This could be due to the low position on the horizon causing the light to go through more atmosphere, smoke in the air, or pollution.

This is an optical illusion. The Moon looks large shortly after it rises when it's still touching the horizon. This is not the same as a Supermoon.

An analysis of moon's mineral composition suggests that the moon is around 4.425 billion years old.

The Moon crust is made of composed primarily of oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), and aluminum (Al), but important minor and trace elements such as titanium (Ti), uranium (U), thorium (Th), potassium (K), and hydrogen (H) are present as well. Below the crust is the mantle coming, with a thickness of roughly 1350 km is far more extensive than the crust, which has an average thickness of about 50 km. The mantle is made of olivine, orthopyroxene and clino pyroxene. Finally, at the center is the Moon’s dense, metallic core. The core is largely composed of iron (Fe) and some nickel (Ni). The inner core is a solid mass of about 480 km in diameter. Surrounding the solid inner core is a fluid outer core, that brings the total diameter of the core to about 660 km.

A supermoon occurs when the Moon's orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time the Moon is full. At such a time, the Moon can look larger and brighter than it normally does - especially when it is seen rising above the horizon. However, it's important to note that the actual difference in size and brightness between a supermoon and an average full moon is not typically dramatic, and may not be noticeable to the naked eye without a direct comparison.

No, it doesn’t generate its own light. “Moonlight” is really sunlight that has reflected off of the Moon’s surface. In the same way that the Sun illuminates Earth, the Moon reflects the Sun's light, making it appear bright in our sky.

No, the moon has no water and has only a very thin and tenuous atmosphere (called an exosphere) so it cannot trap heat or insulate the surface. So, for example, there is no wind to create weather system. The Moon does, in fact, affect the Earth's climate and weather patterns in several subtle ways.